Wednesday, September 18, 2013

O’Neill hits back at Sir Mekere

By
MALUM NALU

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill yesterday hit back at
PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP) chairman, Sir Mekere Morauta,
disparaging him as a stooge for BHP Billiton.

Responding to yesterday’s The National front page story, in which Sir Mekere accused the
government of trying to “steal” the assets of the people of Western province
through Ok Tedi Mining Ltd (OTML) and PNGSDP, O’Neill said it was the former
Prime Minister who was doing the stealing and lying.

Sir Mekere and O'Neill in happier days

“The central claim that we are trying to expropriate
Ok Tedi Mining is simply false and very, very misleading,” O’Neill told
reporters at his parliament office.

“This is coming from a person who held the position
of prime minister, and it is of concern that a person of his nature can make
deliberately misleading statements, to justify his own interests and his own
issues.

“One of these is that we are trying to virtually
‘steal’ the assets of OTML and PNGSDP.

“The people of PNG already own these assets, so how
can you steal from yourself?

“People of Western province and PNG own the
resources, own the mine, own the shares that were gifted by BHP, so how can you
accuse people of stealing their own property?

“Sir Mekere is very much incapable of divorcing his
vested interests, and personal interests in this matter.

“His claim we consider to be self-serving, and again
as I said, a very deliberate attempt to mislead our people as he did in 2002
when he was prime minister.

“He misled our people, he gave immunity to BHP from
prosecution for the huge environmental damage that was done as a result of the
operations of the mine to the Fly River system in Western province.

“Of course, we all know that he has been rewarded
with a very plum job of being chairman of the PNGSDP, which in turns makes him
acquire another job as chairman of OTML.

“He does not represent the people of PNG, he does
not represent the people of Western province…in any shape whatsoever.

“His interests are very clear.

“He represents foreign interests, he represents BHP.

“I ask who is lying to the people of Western
province, who is lying to the people of PNG, whose interests is he protecting?

“These are the questions he needs to answer.

O’Neill said it was time for the PNG government and
the people of Western to take over the operations of the mine as PNGSDP had
failed to do its job.

“This is why we are now saying that after 10 years
of continued mismanagement, continued disinvestments, that PNG government and
the Western provincial government play a direct role in management,” he said.

“We know for a fact that there are mixed successes,
but there are a lot of failures.

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